This invention relates to a method for providing nutrition to critical care animals, and more particularly, to a method of administering a milk substitute which substantially supplies the nutritional requirements of critical care animals such as cats and dogs.
The importance of administering proper nutrition to critical care animals such as cats and dogs is known. By "critical care", it is meant the medical treatment and supportive care given to animals that have an immediate life threatening condition such as an injury, or have suffered from illness or major surgery. Critical care animals are usually under extreme stress and may be in shock due to extensive trauma, systemic disease, cancer, chemotherapy, malnutrition or ingestion of toxins. For example, trauma may be induced by being hit by an automobile, gunshot wounds, bite wounds, burns, extensive abrasions, infection of the skin, and the like. These conditions may have acute onset as in the case of gunshot wounds, but may also be brought on by more chronic conditions such as malnutrition, neglect, end stages of chronic disease such as parasitic disease, hepatic, respiratory, or cardiac disease. Diseases resulting in critical care situations may be the result of metabolic dysfunction or infections such as fungal, viral, bacterial or parasitic infections.
Because of the stress the animals are under, the animals tend to have higher energy requirements relative to healthy animals and are often susceptible to malnutrition. Accordingly, provision of proper energy and other nutrients is therefore very important in the management of the critical care animal. Enteral feeding is a preferred method of providing nutrition versus other methods such as parenteral nutrition.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for providing nutrition to critical care animals which substantially supplies the nutritional needs of such animals.